As described in my French Guiana blog post, some "South American realities" meant I need to return to French Guiana today; so yesterday, Sunday, was, in essence, my last day in Suriname. Among other things, I saw the mosque . . .
. . . which is right next to the synagogue.
I ate some soup for lunch.
After lunch I went to the Central Market. These are photos of it closed up, because I did not want to photograph it when it was bustling.
I also tried to figure out the bus to Albina, on the border with French Guiana. This meant research visits to the bus station, but ultimately I decided the taxi was the better option.
As planned, around 16:00 a snake expert picked me up to drive me out to Peperpot Plantation. We were to meet the other two tourists at Peperpot, across the Suriname River from Paramaribo. Although its history is steeped in colonialism, capitalism, slavery, etc., now Peperpot is a paradise (at least that's what the Dutch tourists who were staying there told me).
These same tourists, one of whom had spent some time as a child in Paramaribo, had a lot of criticisms of Suriname and I would guess they think the country would be better off if it was still a Dutch colony. Anyway, they were happy at Peperpot and very excited for this tour and in particular the snakes they might get to see. In reality, this tour was custom designed for them, and I was just a tag-along. I started out in my kayak and it seemed idyllic.
But, it turned out that my kayak was one of the few that was not badly broken, and after an hour or so of my going back and forth waiting, it was confirmed that Peperpot did not have any more "creek worthy" kayaks. And, so, the one tour I had managed to book got canceled. My snake expert guide drove me back into Paramaribo.
This morning Carlos, my driver from Friday, picked me up and we began the trip back to Albina. Carlos drives this route frequently (he is from Albina and has family there still, and some of his stories included how he had to smuggle people during COVID lockdowns), and so knows the best food stands, currency exchange places, etc. We stopped for breakfast sandwiches here:
I ordered Bokking, which hot-smoked herring, per Carlos's recommendation.
At Albina, it was back onto Larry's boat and across to Saint Laurent for a passport stamp.
With my passport stamped, we headed down the river to pick up another passenger.
Back in Albina, I finally got the stamp that would satisfy the police and ensure I have no issues leaving Suriname by airplane tomorrow.
On the way back to Paramaribo, we stopped to observe (really we were not able to help) a car crash that must have happened two or three minutes before we arrived. You can tell by how far the car is into the bush that they were going extraordinarily fast!
A group of young men were emerging through the broken windows. There was definitely some blood and shock, but everyone seemed okay otherwise. Further down the road Carlos had another stop to make, this time at a place that sold many things, including vacuum cleaners . . .
. . . but also sausages, so we had another tasty roadside snack.
I was back in Paramaribo by mid-afternoon. The city tour and dolphin sunset cruise were out of the question now. I asked Carlos where I should go for roti, and he dropped me off at his recommended place. This is fast food Paramaribo style, with your Coke poured straight from a 1.5 L bottle.
After lunch and a coffee, it was time for a COVID test, which would allow me to board my early morning flight out of Suriname to Miami tomorrow. It was a bit of a walk to the lab, through streets I had not yet walked, with some advertising that I found intriguing for a variety of reasons.
With my rapid test negative, I was good to fly. I ate my favourite Surinamese food for dinner, chicken and bami, chicken with noodles and green beans, which are not like green beans I am used to--they must be two feet long before they are cut up! Anyway, it is delicious!
My time in Suriname certainly did not go as planned in terms of tours not working out and the forced return to French Guiana, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. By the way, my visits to Guyana and Suriname mean the only South American country I have yet to visit is Venezuela. May be a few years before a visit there seems viable, but hopefully not too long!
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